Japan to treat South Korean leader to omelette rice
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An avid cook, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol himself made the request for omurice, according to Japan's Yomiuri newspaper.
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TOKYO – Japan is going the extra mile to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to Tokyo with one of his favourite dishes – “omurice”, or fried rice topped with an omelette – according to the local media.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to take Mr Yoon to famed restaurant Rengatei on Thursday after the leaders of the neighbouring nations hold a summit, Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing several unidentified government officials.
Mr Yoon is set to become the first South Korean president to visit Japan since 2019, when bilateral ties nosedived over a dispute regarding forced labour Tokyo imposing export curbs on chemicals
The countries last week signalled they were ready to mend ties, with Seoul announcing plans for South Korean companies, rather than Japanese ones, to fund a foundation to pay forced-labour victims.
An avid cook, Mr Yoon himself made the request for omurice, according to the Yomiuri. The dish is popular in both Japan and South Korea and is often made at home.
South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo said Mr Yoon had mentioned a restaurant in Tokyo with “good memories” to a Japanese official before he took office in May 2022 and that Rengatei, which was founded in 1895 during the Meiji period, appears to have been chosen based on that comment.
The leaders will stop by at Rengatei after dining at another nearby eatery, which will be selected based on security considerations, the Yomiuri said. Only a small group of aides will accompany them, according to the report. BLOOMBERG
